Spanish Vegetable and Ham Tortilla

This traditional Spanish tortilla has been adapted with additional fresh vegetables and ham, making this dish both colourful and exciting. Here, we used green and red peppers, but spinach, broccoli or peas make great alternatives. If you don’t feel brave enough to flip the omelette, cheat by finishing it off under a hot grill.

Recipe from

‘Mouth-Watering Spanish Recipes’
by Victoria Twead and Gayle Macdonald

Ham and Vegetable Tortilla
Tortilla campesina
~Tapas~Meat~BBQ~
Serves 4 to 6
~ 10 minutes preparation ~
~ 60 minutes cooking ~

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
100g (3½ oz) diced serrano ham
8 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Method:

1) Peel and finely slice the onion and potatoes. Dice the peppers into quite small pieces.

2) In a large heavy based non-stick frying pan, heat about 200ml (7 US fl.oz) olive oil.

3) Add the onions and potatoes and then turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for about 10 minutes until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally so the onions and potatoes don’t brown. Then add the peppers and continue to cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Add the ham and cook for 5 minutes more.

4) Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl and season with a little salt and pepper.

5) Remove the ingredients from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to the eggs. Mix well. Carefully pour away most of the oil into a bowl and set aside (you may need more later in step 7). Leave just a light covering of oil in the pan.

6) Pour the egg mixture back into the pan and leave to cook on a very low heat for about 10 minutes. Use a knife to go round the edge, ensuring the mixture does not stick.

7) After 10 minutes or so (the omelette should be firm on the bottom and starting to cook through to the top), place a large plate (or specialist tortilla flipper) over the pan and very carefully, but quickly, flip the pan over (be very careful not to spill the hot oil). The omelette is now upside down.

8) Lift the omelette off the pan and return the pan to the heat, adding a little more oil if necessary. Now slide the (upside down) omelette back into the pan.

9) Cook for a further 10 minutes (or so) until it is cooked right through.

10) Once the omelette is cooked through, flip again and place on a serving plate to rest.

Tip: The tortilla can be served warm or cold and  served as little squares for tapas or in larger slices as a main meal.